Responding to the situation, Aster Medcity, on World Heart Day, launched a dedicated Aster Heartline – adults and children with heart ailments can now call 8111998111 for emergency assistance as well as advice.

With the right kind of medical care and attention, fatalities can be avoided and cardiac patients can be assured of a good quality of life – especially through early detection and individualised treatment. The Aster Heartline will help patients understand the disease and its treatment modalities, in addition to helping them handle emergency situations.

Here are a few tips for a healthy heart:

Exercise, everyday

Eat healthy food

Quit smoking

Control risk factors like Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar & Cholesterol

Keep away from stress inducing factors

Reduce intake of salt

Do regular health check-ups

Try to stay happy and tension-free

A healthy diet is what keeps the heart healthy

Indulge in

Pulses (gram, dhal, sprouted pulses)

Food rich in fibre like green leafy vegetables

Raw-vegetable salads

Fruits, mainly those with edible skin

Clear vegetable soups, plain soda water, lime juice

White meat, without fat

Fish rich in Omega 3

Green tea

Ground nuts, almonds and walnuts

Avoid

Oily food

Ghee, butter, vegetable fat

Red meat – beef, mutton, ham

Shellfish- prawn, crab, mussels

Organ meat such as liver, brain

Food containing Maida

Egg yolk

Fast food

Chocolates/ snacks with trans fats

Pickles

Carbonated drinks

Make sure you always have food that’s low on oil, especially fried food, food made with thick coconut milk and ghee

Ideal cooking

Use very limited quantity of oil for cooking

Use cooking oils that are high in PUFA, and also high smoking point

Use combinations of different cooking oils instead of using only one type of oil – e.g. corn/rice bran/ canola/ sunflower

Remove the skin before cooking chicken to reduce the fat content further

Opt for healthier methods of cooking like roasting, steaming, baking and boiling instead of frying.